This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter Bill shock - prevent hidden perils
"My 6-year-old spent £3,200 playing an iPhone game for 3 hours" It's the financial nightmares you never thought would happen that really hurt. So today, it's a fightback, with how to prevent the top 10 hidden bill perils... | 1. | 6-yr-old spent £3,200 on an iPhone game. Today's six-year-olds are tech-savvy. Having little 'uns on your knee while you're on a smartphone or tablet means they're likely to know your password, and that can cost large.
One man got smacked with a £3,200 bill after his 6 & 8-year-olds bought their virtual farm animals a virtual mountain of food, with real cash, at £70 a pop. It's disgusting a kids' game allows this, but it happens, so protect yourself. Full story and help in Stop Kids Racking Up App Bills. | | | | 2. | Beware '£15 off next purchase with our online discount' promises. Even legit sites such as The Trainline and Ticketmaster have reportedly made an extra 30 pieces of silver allowing membership clubs like Shopper Discounts to push these offers once you've bought stuff on their sites.
Many have been caught before, like forumite sweetie27, where you find you're signing up to pay £10-£15 a month: "Bought a train ticket and must have clicked a link, as for two years Shopper Discounts has been taking £10/mth from my account, now totalling £200. I did not know anything about this and am totally gutted."
While communication about these clubs has marginally improved, you should still be very careful. Full help in: Sneaky Online Subscriptions | | | | 3. |  Avoid £150/mth for busting your overdraft. Break your overdraft limit by even £1 and you can face charges of up to £5/day or, at Clydesdale, up to £35/transaction. Ensure you stay in the black, analyse your finances with our Free Budget Planner. If you've had charges which put you in financial hardship, you may be able to Reclaim Bank Charges (incl full help & template letters). | | | | 4. | Tripping abroad? Avoid debit card stealth charges. You're strolling in the surf (duh-dum, duh-dum), and sneaking up on you (duh-dum, duh-dum) are debit card stealth charges (de-de duh!). Santander, NatWest, RBS, Halifax & Lloyds add up to £1.50 every time you spend on them. AVOID.
Instead, get a Top Overseas Credit Card, repaid IN FULL each month, to avoid up to 16.9% APR: Halifax Clarity*, Post Office*, Saga* (over 50s) and for Nationwide acc holders ONLY, its Select* card. These have no spending charges & near-perfect exchange rates worldwide (see APR Examples). | | | | 5. | Watch TV online? Don't pay hidden £5 per film. Web players now pump out programmes with image quality rivalling Sky & Virgin. Yet this hoovers up data, and many broadband packages have data limits, charging £5 per 5GB - about 2.5 hours of HD viewing - if you're over.
If that's you, until Thurs, for the equiv of £8.60/mth all in, you can get Unlimited Broadband and Line Rental. Full help in Cheap Broadband. | | | | 6. | Don't nearly repay cards in full - you'll get an unexpected slap. Repay credit cards in full and you usually don't pay any interest. Yet if you owe £5,000 and repay £4,999, many cards will still charge you that month's interest on the whole £5,000. So, if you're close, stretch. | | | | 7. | "I got a £3,000 holiday mobile data bill." Many apps routinely check for updates and download data in the background. This can lead to monster fees abroad. Watching TV, videos or streaming music is worse.
Forumite motbofres really suffered: "Went to India and US, got back and Orange was taking £3,000 for data. I wasn't heavily using the web - email checks & maps. I left data roaming on for 50% of the time." Prices aren't regulated outside Europe, so turn 3G off. See Cheap Data Roaming for tips. | | | | 8. | Fixed your energy price? Watch for pricey 'go-to' tariffs. Once a fixed energy tariff ends, you slide onto providers' uncompetitive standard tariffs - up to £260/year more than the cheapest. So diarise when it ends and switch again. Or for ease, join our Cheap Energy Club, which does it all for you. | | | | 9. | Beware mobile voicemail, which can be 35p a minute. Voicemail isn't always free. Many firms charge a hideous 35p/min if you call it when you've used up your inclusive minutes (or from abroad). Beware, keep track, or turn it off entirely while on holiday. See full Voicemail Danger info. | | | | 10. | Have debts where you bank or save? Beware. It's ruined weddings, cancelled Christmases and left many in misery. If you've cards, loans or mortgages at the SAME bank where you save, banks can legally "set off" or use your cash to repay your debts without asking you. They tend to do it if you're struggling to repay - if that's you, see Setting Off for how to beat it. | | |
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Reclaim PPI for FREE Claims handlers aren't more successful.
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 20 Feb 2013 |
Cheapest EVER mortgage fixes
Some can lock in for 2.75% for FIVE years fixed - check now to see if you can slash your costs Mortgage fix rates are at an all-time low, though the best still require large equity (a big deposit) and a spotless credit record. Our Free Printed Remortgage Guide takes you through it step-by-step. To help, here's some of the latest info.... | THE CHEAPEST MORTGAGE FIXES (picked by mortgage broker London & Country) | | Mortgage lender | % of home value borrowable (LTV) | Fix length | Fix Rate | Admin fees | Cost on £150k over fix (i) | Overall APR (incl rate after fix ends if you don't switch) | | Norwich & Peterborough* | 60% | 2yr | 1.99% | £995 | £16,200 | 4.6% | | ING Direct | 60% | 2yr | 2.29% | £495 | £16,300 | 3.9% | | Norwich & Peterborough* | 90% | 2yr | 4.29% | £295 | £19,900 | 5.0% | | Britannia BS from Thurs (ii) | 60% | 5yr | 2.79% | £0 | £41,700 | 4.1% | | Post Office* | 60% | 5yr | 2.74% | £995 | £42,500 | 3.9% | | Hanley Economic | 90% | 5yr | 4.20% | £0 | £48,500 | 5.0% | | (i) 25-year mortgage, fee paid upfront. (ii) Fee currently £999, but drops to £0 on Thurs, so we've listed that. As they say, "your home may be repossessed if you don't keep up repayments" - so ensure you budget so it's affordable | back to top ↑ |
Naked Wines £40 off £65 code. MSE Blagged. Corking newbies code - £40 off £65 at Naked Wines. PLUS Virgin Wines 12 btls incl Cava + 2 crystal flutes £58 delivered (RRP £113). Full info: Cheap Wine Deals. Please be Drinkaware. FREE 6mth music streaming (RRP £30). Free 6mth trial with Spotify rival. See Rdio Free Trial (incl existing custs).
 Play Where's Wallet? to celebrate MSE's 10th birthday (10x£100 prizes). Its our birthday on Fri. To celebrate, at 10.30am, 10 wallets will be hidden around the site, the first to find each gets a celebratory £100. Play Where's Wallet, plus read MSE site history.
Tesco.com £5 off £50 grocery code for EVERYONE (newbies £17 off £60). For more info, see Tesco Deals. |
Buy stolen goods on the cheap... legally
Plus airport baggage auctions, free sofas, collection-only deals and more 2nd-hand bargain tricks As goods leave a shop, their value crashes. Buying 2nd-hand's a great way to get quality, often-unused items for less. There are a host of little-known ways, along with charity shops & boot sales, to grab goodies in our 40 eBay/2nd-hand Buying Tricks guide. A taster... -
 Buy stolen goods... Well nearly, but great headline you must admit. Police forces use an eBay-style site to sell lost property or goods seized from criminals. Pick them up in person from local nicks or get some delivered. Big bargains are possible, especially for bikes, eg, £50 Specialized cycle (on eBay £200). Full info in Police Auctions.
- FREE cars, sofas and more via giveaway websites. Instead of dumping or eBaying goods, many people offer 'em free to locals. See 30 Freecycle & Freegle Tips.
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| Warning. 'More energy hikes coming' - get permanently cheap energy now. The boss of energy regulator Ofgem's warned consumers to brace for more price hikes. Fight back now, join MSE's Cheap Energy Club. Stop press: 20% off iPads. In-store at HMV. Limited stock, can you find one? Full info plus rights: Cheap iPads Code gets 100 oriental lily bulbs £25 (usually £140) MSE Blagged. Or 50 for £20. Bloomin' good Garden Deal. Check your Clubcard account NOW, police called in. Tesco's asked cops to investigate a possible breach of data after we revealed a spate of stolen Clubcard vouchers from online accounts. Check your Clubcard now. |
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| Ends Mon. Cheapest EVER personal loan - 5%. Derbyshire BS* is offering 5% representative APR on £7,500-£15k loans until 11pm on Mon 25 Feb. As always, ensure you've budgeted and can afford repayments. Full help: Cheap Loans Wallis 30% off, Burton 24%, M&S 20%, Dotty P 25%: 1-day sales & codes...
Wallis 30% off 'EVERYTHING' Wed only | Burton 24% off EVERYTHING code | M&S 20% off sale till Mon
Dorothy Perkins 25% off code/vch | Kurt Geiger 25% off code | Fragrance Shop 20% off code & vch
Debenhams 10% off code | Dwell 20% off code/vch in mag | See ALL Discount Vouchers and ALL Sales Forum Hottie. 75% off Ruby and Ed slippers. Posh loungewear sale. Slippers from £15 (were £38). Ruby and Ed |
Top flight rewards cards - 'free' BA/Virgin flights
Plus our new pre-eligibility checker lets you know your chances of getting one, withough hitting your credit file For big spenders, airline credit cards give free sign-up flights, then miles for spending. Use a direct debit to repay IN FULL each month to avoid interest, then jet-set at a fraction of the cost. Full help in Top Airline Credit Cards. A taster... - 'I got a biz return to Miami' Forum user MSE Martin (OK, it's our Martin) says: "I've thrice built up enough points for BA biz class to the US, then using my partner ticket (see below), Mrs MSE gets the same. Tax & charges are about £500 each, but the tickets would've cost £6,000+"
| THE TOP AIRLINE REWARDS CARDS (Which wins for you depends on your annual spend) | | Card | Annual fee | Sign-up bonus (1) | Pts per £1 | Free partner ticket
(Yearly spend needed) (2) | Rep APR | What's my chance? (3) | Lloyds Duo*
| No | Spend £500/mth for 3mths, get 18,000 Avios (gets a BA Rome/Barcelona rtn). | 1 Avios | No | 17.9% | Check | | BA Amex* | No | Spend £1,000 within 3mths, get 9,000 Avios (gets a Eurostar Paris return). | 1 Avios | £20,000 | 15.9% | Check | | Virgin Atlantic White* | No | Get 3,000 miles after any purchase. | 1 mile | £15,000 | `17.9% | Check | | BA Premium Plus Amex* | £150 | Spend £3,000 within 3mths, get 25,000 Avios (gets an Istanbul/Marrakech rtn). | 1.5 Avios | £10,000 | 19.9%
(+ fee) | Check | | Lloyds Premier Duo* | £50 | Spend £500/mth for 3mths, get 30,000 Avios (gets a Cairo return). | 1.25 Avios | £15,000 | 13.9%
(+ fee) | Check | | Full help in Airline Credit Cards (Official APR Examples). (1) You still pay tax and charges. (2) Means you get 2 tickets instead of 1. (3) Tells you your likelihood of getting a card. Unlike an application, it doesn't hit your credit score. | - Airline card golden rules. 1) Avoid annual fees, unless you'll definitely use flights. 2) Set up a direct debit to fully repay each month. 3) Never withdraw cash - you pay interest even if fully repaying. 3) Use for all daily spending to max cashback. 4) It's NOT an excuse for overspending. 5) Ensure there's cash in the bank to cover the direct debit.
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| 25% off ALL Sainsbury's Tu clothes | Tesco clothing up to 50% off. New clothes sales. See High Street Sales. FREE £12 DIY show tickets. MSE Blagged.
2,000 Build It Live tix, Bluewater, Kent 23-24 Feb | 5,000 pairs Homebuilding Show, B'ham NEC 21-24 Mar | Days Out Forum Hottie. Cute jute bags 2 for £6. Forumites love 'em (it's like hessian). Free del code till Thurs: Seasalt Cornwall Ends Wed. £2 cashback on £10 petrol spend. Incl Asda, Tesco, Sains, Shell... Just upload receipt. Cheap Petrol |
Boost your credit rating
As 'paying water bills on time' has been added to what counts, see how to make yourself alluring to lenders
Apply for a mortgage, credit card, even car insurance or mobiles, and your credit-worthiness dictates if you'll get a deal, and often how good it is. There are no set rules. Each lender scores you differently, aiming to predict how you'll behave. - It's a bit like going on the pull. As each lender's different, our Credit Rating Booster guide has tips to rouge up your lips and make yourself more attractive to most.
 a) Time applications. Too many in a short space of time looks desperate.
b) Stability's good. Put your landline, not your mobile, on applications.
c) Prioritise. Apply for ones first, eg, a mortgage before a mobile contract.
d) Get on the electoral roll. If you're not, getting credit's tough. Get on electoral roll.
e) Issues wipe after six years. If you've past problems and are close, wait.
f) Get paid £10 to check your file. Errors can kibosh applications, so regularly Check Files & Earn.
- Water bills now count. As well as lenders, some energy firms add data to credit files, so missing payments hurts. This week Yorkshire became the first water firm to drip-feed info to credit agencies. See which utility firms count.
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| Air Asia 'free' flights. Urgent. Pay taxes and charges only - for some flights within Asia. Air Asia Deals Small claims limit rises to £10,000 in April. So if you're planning on making a £5k-£10k claim in Eng & Wales, you may want to wait until then, if possible. Via small claims, you can't have costs awarded against you. See How to Complain. £1 Easter eggs - mid-sized KitKat, Malteser, Creme Egg, etc. In store & online. Cracking deals: Easter Eggs Amex user? Last chance. £25 back on £50 at Gap, H of Fraser, etc. Via smartphone app. See Amex Deals.
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Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 BOOK GIVEAWAY:
The Good Hotel Guide 2013. 50 blagged for MoneySavers. Want one? MONEY MORAL DILEMMA:
Should I threaten a bad review to get better service?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I write a blog about the city I live in, which includes reviews of local eateries, hotels and attractions. I'm pretty certain last time I went to a restaurant, the waitress overheard me talking about my review, because the service picked up after. I don't get paid to write yet lots of places benefit from better custom after I've written about them. Should I start telling places I visit I'll be reviewing them to get better service? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I threaten a bad review to get better service? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs Worried about horsemeat? Forumite COOLTRIKERCHICK's compiled a list of top tips on avoiding supermarkets and using butchers for fresh (non-equine) meat. See Stop horsin' around. THE GREAT HUNT:
Free activities to do with kids
Half-term's in full swing and before you know it, the Easter hols will be upon us. We've some great ideas up our sleeve for cheap days out, but what completely free things do you love to do with your nippers? Share yours/read others': Free activities to do with kids Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT:
Airline: Aer Lingus Sale: Up to 50% off Ends: Thu 21 Feb 2013
Our pick this week is Aer Lingus's up to 50% off sale. It's on till Thu 21 Feb 2013, but the 50% discount is applied before taxes and charges so you pay them in full. It's for flights from 14 UK airports to Ireland from Fri 1 Mar to Thu 20 Jun 2013. We found flights from London Heathrow to Cork for £57.65. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £60 one-way max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED:
Have you earned cash from homemade YouTube vids?
Mixed responses to last week's topic, some saying YouTube clips are easy money and others that it's more hassle than it's worth. One forumite made £500 from a video of their cat attacking the washing machine. Paws for thought. back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances Thursday 21 February
Daybreak , ITV, 7.35-7.45am.
Deals of the Week. | Thursday 21 February
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. | Monday 25 February
This Morning, ITV, 11am-12pm.
Subject tbc. | | |
MSE team corner - Team appearances:
- No team appearances this week
| Board of the week The Charities Board Share advice and tips on anything and everything to help charities. Discussions include would a charity shop accept fabrics?, funding or grants for support groups in wales and Getting Celebrities Autographs for Charity Fundraiser. | Cheap travel money | UK's Best Currency Rates | | £100 will buy you: | | Best | Worst |  | € | 115.31 | 104.78 |  | $ | 154.01 | 139.79 |  | TL | 265.80 | 243.86 | | Rates correct at 4pm Tue | Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash | |
This week's poll: Would you buy horsemeat if it saved you cash? How much cheaper would it need to be before you'd knowingly buy an advertised as horsemeat ready meal (or steak) compared to beef? | Poll resultsIs it OK to use a 2for1 voucher on a first date?
Over half of men and women who voted didn't think it was an issue for Bob to use a voucher, similar to last year's vote.
- 30% of men think it'd make Bob great with cash.
- 26% of women said the same.
- 15% of men think Bob's tight.
- 17% of women said the same.
9,733 voted. See the full results. |
Question of the week Q: I have found some US dollar Visa travellers' cheques in a drawer. Any way I can get some or all of my money back? Niamh, by email. MSE Helen S's A: You can cash travellers' cheques in at most banks, and some bureaux de change. If you can remember where they were issued, take them there, as others are likely to charge a small fee. Bear in mind you will receive sterling at today's rate - if you bought them several years ago when there was a higher dollar exchange rate, this'll crystallise your losses. Alternatively, if you often go to the US - or another country that commonly accepts US dollars - it may be best keeping them for your next holiday. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Archna's free game of the week: Flying Penguin |
'You can't die here!' - top 10 stupidest laws Most know of the UK law that states a pregnant woman can relieve herself in a policeman's helmet, if the need arises. But there are quite a few other ridiculous laws, including "it's illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament". 10 stupidest laws We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
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What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, how this site is financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. MSE, Money Saving Expert, MoneySavingExpert and Moneysavingexpert.com are registered trade marks belonging to MoneySavingExpert.com Limited. More about MoneySaving Expert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
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